


Let Time Take its Course

by xXxCrimsonRabbitxXx



Series: Keith Whump [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angry Keith (Voltron), Angry Lance (Voltron), Emotionally Hurt Keith, F/F, F/M, Helpful Lance, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Keith (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Scared Keith (Voltron), allura is a bitch for a while
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2019-11-29 02:52:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18217220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXxCrimsonRabbitxXx/pseuds/xXxCrimsonRabbitxXx
Summary: Keith hates losing, believes that it makes him useless to those around him and strips away any self-confidence he gained beforehand. When confronted about his attitude after returning to the Castle of Lions from the Blade of Marmora base, and after revealing something he learned while at the base, he starts breaking down and Lance may be the only one that can help put him back together again.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay guys, I'm back but I'm going to be slow in posting stuff since I'm in the second half of the Spring Semester at the University I'm attending. I also jumped the bandwagon and decided to do my own Keith Whump collection! I only hope that you guys enjoy these stories and I'll keep adding tags as I go along. Don't know exactly what kind of stuff will be added here but I just know it's going to be torture for our Keef with and without our precious Klance.

Keith was quiet as he, Kolivan, and Shiro exited his red lion in the hangar. Quiet even as they walked to the bridge to discuss future plans they all needed to make to take down Zarkon once and for all. None of that was on Keith’s mind, though. All he could think about was how he was so easily defeated in one of the few things he excelled at; combat.

The way they threw him around like he weighed nothing. The way they handled their weapons with such mastery that it not only awed him but pissed him of to a high degree. Just the thought of all this and more made his body quake with an anger he hadn’t felt in so long that he didn’t notice how he was grinding his teeth to nearly dust, the far-off look in his eyes that glared daggers at nothing, or how his hands dug into his crossed arms that he nearly tore through the flight suit.

Anger seethed through every pore of his body that he didn’t realize anybody was talking to him until Shiro stepped into his line of sight and clapped his hands together. The ringing jostling him from his thoughts and to the present conversation. It took a split second that everyone’s eyes were on him and they were waiting for a response to a question he didn’t even hear.

“I… I’m sorry.” He said quickly, adjusting his stance and putting weight on his left hip since his entire right side hurt from his shoulder down. He tried his best to hide it but knew that Shiro himself seemed to think Keith’s slightly odd behavior was because of the pain. “What were we talking about?”

“Shiro said you had something to share with us.” Pidge offered as they adjusted their glasses a little. Her all-seeing gaze taking notice in how Keith held himself.

“Oh…” Keith muttered, his gaze falling to the floor as his face paled. He had hoped to avoid telling anybody about what he learned at the base before returning, he thought Shiro understood the heaviness of the situation that keeping it a secret would have been best… but he seems to have misunderstood how Shiro felt about it.

With a bite to his bottom lip before lifting his eyes to look at Shiro, who still stood before him with a soft, encouraging smile, he took a deep breath and got it over with.

“I’m part Galra. We found out after the Trial or Knowledge or Death because I was given by my father one of their Marmora Blades and didn’t know what it meant until now.” And he left the bridge, the last thing he saw being the darkened look on Allura’s face. How it showed the betrayal in the tears that threatened to fall from her gemstone-like eyes before he pulled his gaze from her and ran off down the corridor, the door sliding shut as no one dared to follow him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not have a summary because the summary from the previous chapter is for the entire piece! I forgot to mention that to everyone before I published it so I decided to do that now with this chapter.

The second the doors shut, Allura let loose every word she wanted to yell towards Keith.

“How could he!” She barked before turning towards Shiro for answers. “What does he mean ‘half Galra’, Shiro?” She added before whipping her head towards the said paladin. Rage seeping through every pore on her body.

“Well…” Shiro sighed, almost sheepishly while scratching the back of his neck, and explained everything that happened on the base after they arrived. It was almost a go with the alliance, but when it was learned that Keith came to them with a weapon after agreeing to go in weaponless. It wouldn’t have been as bad as what he witnessed, but had Keith refused to give up how he got the blade. That, in turn brought forth the Trials where Keith either learned what he wanted or died trying. In the end, the blade formed when Keith decided to return it to the Blade and that was how they all learned he was half Galra. “I’m just as shocked as you guys are though. And you should have—”

“He betrayed us all, then.” Allura spat, her anger taking over any rational thought she had.

“What the fuck Allura?” Pidge shrieked while Hunk spat out, “That’s not right!”

“Hey! That’s going too far!” Shiro spat back as he pointed a finger at Allura. “I know for a fact that Keith had no idea about his heritage. Hell, he never knew his own mother because she left him before he could have any decent memories of her! He only had that knife because it was in his father’s will that he receives it upon his death with no explanation as to how or where it came from.”

“Shiro’s right, Allura, blaming Keith for something he had no control over is a low blow.” Lance said with backup from both Pidge and Hunk.

“Keith may be a loner and not open up to anybody unless he did so on his terms, but he would never betray anyone and you know that!” Pidge hissed, disappearing from the bridge to go to the Green Lion’s hangar before they blew a gasket.

“And I may not know Keith like I Shiro but blaming someone for their heritage is just… bad. Wait, no, not bad, just plain wrong on so many levels.” Hunk said. “I mean, wars were created on our planet because no one liked the other’s heritage. Heck, that’s still happening now!”

“How can you guys take—” Allura started before Lance spoke.

“Don’t you dare go further with that statement, because if you do, you’ll say something you’ll regret for the rest of life.” And with that Lance turned to leave the bridge. “I’m going to go see if Keith’s alright.”

Once the doors slid shut, Shiro turned back to Allura with a fire in his eyes that she had never seen before.

“Keith is my adopted brother and I know him more than anybody on this damn ship, Princess.” He said before taking a deep breath to calm himself down for his next statement, “but, I know you’ve lost everything to the Galra, your home, your family, your entire people… After Keith’s dad died in a fire, nobody wanted him but my family because we saw something in him that could make him happy. The greatness he never knew he had that could pull him out of the depression and self-hatred he had for himself. Understand? We are the only family he has and if you don’t like it, then that’s your problem to sort out.”

Then Shiro turned to Kolivan and said, “I’m sorry for what you’ve witnessed… but we really should get on with the meeting. I’ll inform Pidge, Lance, and Keith of our plans later.”

Kolivan looked Shiro with a quick gaze. Knew that there would be hardships the second he stepped onto the Castle as well as Keith revealing his lineage, but he didn’t know it was going to be this bad.

“You’re right, but before we actually put these plans into action, everyone aboard this Castle ship needs to get along, learn to set aside their differences, and learn to care for one another. If anger and bitterness reside in anyone’s hearts over something that another cannot control, it will throw us all off balance and destroy everything we’ve all come to accomplish.” Kolivan lectured. “Now, let’s begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the moment, it seems I'll be able to upload this once a week after this update, but that depends on how much homework I get done before I spend an hour a day to work on it. Right now, I have at least 4 chapters almost ready (including the two I've already published). So I hope you guys enjoy this one as much as I am right now! The extra good stuff will be in a few chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!! I'm back with the next chapter like I promised! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far like I am!

All he wanted was someone to understand, someone to not hate him for something he never knew until a few vargas ago. The look of fear on Shiro's face at the base. The look of rage in Allura's eyes. The look of betrayal from Coran's... hurt from Pidge, terror from Hunk... Lance was the only one that looked at him with a blank stare. Eyes unreadable as they had locked onto his when he spoke those dreadful words he wanted to keep bottled up inside of him and never let see the light of day.

No, Keith knows that Lance will hold this over his head for the rest of his life. Drag him down and probably tell the entire universe that he's part Galra and laugh at how newly freed worlds would treat him, either horribly or just outright arrest him and sentence him to death or something. Torture would probably be on the lines too, now that he thought about it. That very statement making his skin prickly with goosebumps and the hair on the back of his neck stand.

With a shake of his head, Keith soundlessly slid into his room and locked the door. Just the thought of seeing any one of the other paladins or the Altean’s making his blood run cold at what they might do to him now that he was part of the enemy. Allura might see to it that he never pilots Red again. Oh God, Red might refuse to let him pilot too, but he shook that thought since she allowed him to fly back to the Castle from the base… at least he hoped. So, he wanted to be left alone to his self-decimating thoughts that only spiked his worries and his panic and not get weird—or hateful—looks from everyone else while he did so.

It’s just… being alone frightened him. That wasn’t something he felt deep in his bones like now since he rescued Shiro from the Garrison and then got blasted into this stupid war with the others. At least, before this shit happened, he had somebody around that could keep him company. Complain to when needed. And most of all feel like he’s not going insane with his own thoughts.

Curling up on the furthest corner in his bed, Keith buried his face in his knees and tried to make himself as small as possible. That loneliness from being in the desert for a year sinking back into his bones, causing a shiver up and down his spine. He would never acknowledge, or admit it, but tears cascaded from his eyes like a raging river.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for missing a week! I forgot I had this chapter ready and got occupied with getting ready for finals and finishing up the end of the semester--only two weeks, including final's week left!!!--so I apologize for the lateness of this chapter! I may miss another week of updates because of said finals.
> 
> Anyway! Here's chapter 4 and I hope you guys like it!!!

Lance fumed as he walked out of the bridge. Leaving everyone behind to stew in their thoughts they never said to Keith’s face. More than anything, it sickened him at how Allura was now treating Keith just because he finally found out he wasn’t fully human like he believed. Hell, Lance was angry with himself because of how he reacted; staring like a moron with his mouth open. All he hoped was that he didn’t look frightened, scared, terrified, or downright hateful.

He knew it wasn’t Keith’s fault he was a Galra half-breed.

He knew it wasn’t Keith’s fault that he didn’t know until now either.

He knew that no matter what Keith’s lineage was, he was still Keith.

Clenching his fists, he stalked down the corridors. Searching everywhere for his fellow paladin. He tried the showers and bathrooms. Tried the kitchen and was about to walk on by, but he smelled something good being made and decided that Hunk at least deserved his forgiveness. Only because he knew the gassy engineer extremely well and kind of understood where Hunk might stand but wanted reassurance from his best friend himself.

“Oh! Lance!” Hunk beams when he sees Lance walking in. “Just in time! I need someone to taste this. It’s supposed to taste like bacon mac and cheese but I’m not sure I got the bacon flavor right.”

“Sure.” Lance shrugged as he took the offered spoon and shoveled it into his mouth, a smile pulling at his lips as he was reminded of his mom’s cooking. “Perfect, but why are you making this anyway?”

“I asked Shiro and learned that it’s Keith’s favorite food, amongst many different kinds but those are Japanese and Korean, and I don’t know how to make that kind of food since I haven’t had it yet.” Hunk blabbered as he stirred the gooey food in the large pot. “Anyway, it’s time to eat so go look for everyone.”

“Actually, Hunk… I don’t know if I’m ready to face everyone else just yet.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… and I was hoping to ask you a few questions before I went back to looking for Keith. He seems to have disappeared on this hunk of space metal.”

“Okay, I understand and will set aside enough for both you and Keith for later.” Hunk smiled. “So, what do you want to know?”

“I was wondering… how you felt about Keith, but you seem to have already answered that by making this meal for him. I was also wondering if you’d seen him around before you let yourself become occupied in here and started making food.”

“No, I haven’t… but I will page you if I do end up seeing him before you. Now get going so you can find our hot-head.”

Lance couldn’t help but smile at his best friend before giving him a fist bump and leaving the kitchen. His search still turning up nothing as he went to the common room. Red’s hangar, training deck, observatory room, everywhere. Even Keith’s room but no answer sounded from the other side. The fact that it’s locked didn’t mean anything since it’s a function of the door from both sides by voice—something he used often to get away from Pidge and their wrath from him stealing either their headphones or tablet.

“Oh, come on, Keith!” Lance huffed as he let his head fall forward and rest on Keith’s door, eyes downcast and shadowed with worry. The ocean-blue eyes that normally sparkle were slightly dimmed because of it. “Where did you go?”

Sighing again, a pout pulling at his lips as he dug his hands into the pockets of his jacket. He decided to keep roaming the corridors in search of his friend. Purposely avoiding everyone—besides Hunk—as much as possible because he didn’t want to see their faces. He knows fully well that he hasn’t calmed down enough from what happened, and he didn’t want to say something he might regret.


	5. Chapter 5

He heard Lance a little bit ago, and the hurt that was laced in his words, but he ended up telling himself that Lance was faking it. Using Keith’s weakness for constant reassurance against him to drag him down as much as possible. So, he ended up staying as silent as he could until Lance walked off and left him alone.

But now Keith couldn’t sit in one place much longer. Brooding wasn’t who he was, and he wasn’t going to let himself become one now. Not when they’re in the middle of a war. So, he forced himself off his bed, wincing at the pain in his right shoulder, but he ignored it. He didn’t have time to worry about injuries right now, not when he had so much training to do. Fighting against the Blade members made him realize he was nowhere near where he’s supposed to be. That he still had so much training to do before he was even worthy enough to fight the Galra.

At this rate he won’t be able to be of any use for anybody. Just the thought of being that useless made his skin crawl and his eyes prickle.

With puffy, red eyes, Keith left his room and headed straight for the training deck. Making sure to hide if someone walked by or noticed him. There was no point in facing anybody when they no longer wanted him around anyway. What was the point?

The second he walked into the training deck, he set the simulation to Gladiator: Level 5. The last level he worked on before this last mission. His plan was to get up to level 10 before he gave up for the day… or maybe more than that if his body could handle it. Keep going until his body gave out for someone to find him later.

**Author's Note:**

> This first story will be multiple chapters that are very short because, like I've mentioned, I'm pressed for time with classes and upcoming finals that are in five weeks (currently failing two courses right now so I have a LOT to do so I can raise one of them up and keep my financial aid). The next one should be up soon, though, because I decided to get as much of this story done as possible before posting any of it so I can have something to publish next weekend also.
> 
> Love you guys and thanks for reading!
> 
> Oh, this work is a request from someone that's not on A03 so this will also show up on fanfiction DOT net too.


End file.
